Divide
by kazlene
Summary: What if the tale, so beloved, of Hearths Warming Eve never occured. What if all six ponies perished from the cold blows dealt by the Windigos? What if the three types of ponies never grew close, never worked together. What if they remained divided throughout the ages. When Twilight is summoned by Princess Celestia to Canterlot she found something to answer those very questions.
1. Chapter 1

[i]Ii]Twilight,  
The presence of you and your friends is required again in Canterlot. Bring the Elements with you. Something unusual has popped up and it is yet unknown if this could pose a threat to the welfare of the citizens. Make haste.  
-Princess Celestia  
[/i][/i]

I felt the punch I had previously been drinking slowly slide its way down my gullet, sinking like an anchor in an ocean of worry. The strawberry flavor no longer tasted like the sweet fruit it was. With the appearance of the letter from the Princess I could feel it rot in my mouth into a bitter flavor that I would have spat out like poison on any normal occasion.

"Sugarcube? What is it?"

I felt numb, and that country accent felt so far away. It woke me up though.

"SPIKE!"

I whipped my head back to my side where I had last seen my reptilian assistant. There. Behind Fluttershy, hiding behind a leg.

"Er, isn't there something said about don't hate the deliverer of bad news?"

I deflated, the energy just rushing right out of me. I was taking this a mite to quickly, we didn't even know if anything was truly wrong yet. I let out a huff, watching as my bangs floated upwards. I felt the need to calm down. Counting to ten I started to speak again.

"So sorry. Its just... Princess Celestia has summoned all of us to Canterlot again. And we are to bring along our respective elements of harmony. The letter gives no details to the nature of the threat, or if there really is a threat."

"Well, darling, you simply must calm down. Too much stress will wreck your youthful complexion."

I knew I should calm down, though my complexion was my least concern. I peered through my bangs at my circle of friends...all those worried faces. I knew they weren't just worried about the worrying lette, they were worried about. They were probably more worried about me being fine and dandy actually. I noticed a gloomy look start to sweep uncharacteristically over her muzzle.

"You're right Rarity. Maybe we could bring some of Pinkie Pie's new cupcake with us, we all know how long that train ride is"

It was probably a good this we had only been having a small party between the seven of us when Spike hacked up the letter. We could bring the party with us. Had it been a party for all of Ponyville...I shivered, I could only imagine all of the disorganization.

I galloped over to the bookshelves of the library's nonfiction section. Since Chrysalis attacked, Celestia decided it might be smarter if the elements weren't stored in a location that needs her assistance to reach. I kind of agreed. I mean how did she even expect us to get the Elements in that case anyways.

I realized my train of thought had derailed. I really needed to fix the tracks on that thing one of these days. Some point during my rambling train wreck I apparently plucked the elements from their secret location. And had already thrown on my tiara.

I turned around, ready to serve up the others. I laughed at the scene had been going on behind me. In the few seconds I had my back turned that crazy pink mare had cleaned up all the streamers, cupcakes and even the glass bowl of punch. She was currently stuffing the last of the supplies into her most portable party cannon, her face just priceless. I think I even saw her biting down a little on her tongue in all of her concentration.

Pinkie Pie slowly turned around as she finished, staring at me dead pan.

"Twilight."

"Yes?" I answered with a heavy filling.

"You're still wearing your party hat!"

Pinkie Pie went back to her normal beaming grin, bouncing over to grab the pointed blue hat right off of my head. Quickly, before she could reach me and somehow accidentally bowl me over, I magicked the elastic band out from underneath head and floated to hat over to that crazy mare. With a snap I attached the hat to Pinkie's head.

"We really do need to get going Pinkie."

"Yes, yes Twilight is quite right. Why, the Princess is depending upon us!"

I tried my hardest to refuse the urge to face hoof. Despite having been practically pen pals with the Princess for almost a year Rarity still felt like this was some unusual event.

I somberly handed out the Elements, watching to make sure everyone had theirs secured, before magicking up that silly party cannon. I march right out the library door, I figured there's a difference between worrying too much and just being stern about timing. Time is ticking, Twilight, time is ticking!

I set out a brisk trot, I purposely avoided checking behind me to see if my friends were following. I could tell by the voices of complaint they were right behind. We had to get to the train station, Celestia's letter had said to make haste. Well, we were going to be there before she would even be able to...well I don't know what. Maybe... Finish a cup of tea? Yeah, we'd be there before she even finished a good old cup of tea. Maybe a nice steaming mug of chrysanthemum tea. I knew the last ambassadors sent her a shipment recently.

I stopped abruptly in front of the ticket booth at Ponyville Main. Being the only train station in such a small town and having helped out so often outside of town, the ticket master immediatly recongized my friends and I. I decided despite of him already grimancing and shuffling papers at the sight of us, I needed to make it obvious howurgent we really were this time. I slammed my hoof down on the counter.

"Six tickets to Canterlot! It's an emergency!"

The grey stallion behind that inch thick glass didn't even bat an eye. Instead he smirked.

"What, did the Princess spill her cup of tea again? Maybe Princess Luna lost her blanket?"

I blushed as I recalled those two events. And a few other moments the six of us decided to keep between us. I noticed that despite his sarcasm laden voice, those hooves were already at work counting out the tiny stubs nessecary to ride on the locomotive.

"Yet again you six are in luck, next train to Canterlot will leave in fifteen minutes."

I yanked the tickets from the old pony's grip, ignort the muttering he thought I couldn't hear. And for the most part I couldn't. Just something about 'fillies these days', 'new fangled elements of harmony', and something about 'back in my day'. I shrugged it off anyways. We had a train to catch.

Altogether the train ride was uneventful. We even got our normal car all to ourselves, and arriving at the business station of Canterlot we were greeted by a small group of Royal guards. Leading the dutiful pack of soldiers though was what caught my attention the most.

"Twily!"

As one my brother and I swooped down upon each other, hooves open, each ready to desieged the other with hugs.

" You are not going to believe your eyes. There's a crack in the Throne Room!"

I got a weird feeling remembering the sight of that grey old ticket stallion and his muttering ways. This didn't sound like a job forthe Elements of Harmony...In fact...

"Why didn't you just find a carpenter? I'm pretty sure the Elements don't have a "Fix the crack in the wall" feature."

I hadn't meant to ssound snippy,but this really didnt sound like a job for us.

" Twilight you don't understand. You are going to have to ssee it for yourself."

The golden plated guards closed ranks around us. I figured if it was such a small probably we could probably get out of here quickly too. Glancing at my friends though told me they weren't about to complain any more about the situation. I knew all of them had their own personal reasons for loving the city of Canterlot.

I mainly zoned out as we walked through the streets. Unlike my friends these streats were familiar to me. Also since we were in the Business region we didn't have much of a ways to walk. Mainly just a short stroll through the recreational area for the most sophisticated of ponies. I must say there were some rather clean nostrils this time around. They must have put in a new spa recently. I noticed this all with disinterest though. These ponies...they looked down on my friends and I. In an attempt to get out of here I whispered a dangerous plan to two of my companions. Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

All I had to do was suggest a race and they were off, easily braking ahead of the tightly knit guards. With a mighty yell of surprise Apple Jack was off too. I noticed Shining Armor give me an uncomfortable look but I didn't care. I just wanted to get to Celestia.

I set out with a burst of enegry. I knew I was no where near the kind of runner like those three but I wanted to get to the castle. The foof us ended up leaving Fluttershy and Rarity behind but both of them were more the stop and smell the roses kind anyways. Or pet the bunnies. Within but a few minutes we reached the high golden gates that marked the enterence to the abode of our ruler and my mentor.

I brushed aside the argument happening between Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash and went straight on up to on of the gate keepers. It looked like someone had recently replaced old Steel Lock because alongside Silver Key was a new face. One maybe my age. A unicorn even. Typically the guards of the gates were either unicorns or earth ponies but the vast majority were earth ponies as of late. I studied the slate blue coat and looked in those navy blue eyes. Buck, it couldv'e been his first day out of the academy even, I noticed a lock of silvery mane peeking out beneath of his helmet. Sloppy. Though it was outside of my nature I decided to play with him.

"Hey there, sweetums. What's a hunky thing like you doing in a place like this?"

Rarity would've been proud her...unorthodox dating tips were being put to use. I could see sweat start to form on his brow and as soon as I started talking his eyes started flickering between me and his mentor, silently pleading for a rescue. I decided to kick it up a notch.

"So cutie pie, when do you get off of work? Perhaps you," I trailed a hoof alon his armor, "And I could grab a drink?"

I could barely keep a straight face now and out of the corner of my eye I could see the guards that we left with Rarity and Fluttershy approaching. I figured it was time to get serious.

"So my friends and I," I gestured with my hoof at both my friends with me and the ones still approaching, "Have an audience with Princess Celestia. I'm Twilight Sparkle. And you are?"

I felt bad for being a tease of sorts and was actually considering buying him maybe a meal. Not as a date, oh no, I barely knew the colt. With my friends. Buck, Pinkie Pie would throw a party just for a new name.

"Nightly, Miss Twilight Sparkle. Um...just let me, um go get the gate open."

I knew now we were definately going to throw him a party as I watched him fumbled with his keys. By the time he managed to get the correct one off of the ring and into the key hole though we were joined by the rest of the group.

We made it to he Throne Room without any more delays. And boy, oh boy was my brother right about me being interested. Sure it was a crack. But it wasn't in the wall. It just...hung there, as if the very air its self had been ripped like a piece of parchment paper.

I zoned out everything else, only idly picking up on Celestia talk of its appearance to the other elements. I noted the slight whitish glow stemming from the edges of the crack and the blue light spewing forth from the center. The closer I got the colder I felt. I felt a sort of depression seep into my bones. I also through felt a pull and looking up I notice my recently donned Element glowing a purple hue. I stepped closer, reaching out. I sensed beside me that my friends had drifted over, forming a half circle around the cryptic crack. It was calling us, shouting at us. I could feel the pull.

Then I saw pink. There was nothing I could do. I tried grabbing at my friends tail, tried grasping for a hoof...but she just jumped through. Without thinking, I realized later there had been magic some powerful magic directed to lure in the Elements, to lure in us, I leapt in after Pinkie Pie.

With a thump I felt my plot fall onto an uneven, rough, cold stone. I felt as if a thinks cloud of fog had just been cleared away from my mind, leaving behind the wisps and tufts of a numbing headache. I blearily looked around. All six of us were still together. Good. We all still had the elements. Also good.

It appeared as if we landed in a more medieval version of our Throne Room, grey stone where white tile had been. Clear glass interrupting the walls where before had been graceful color.

"Interesting..."

I snapped my head to the voice, unable temporarily to see as my mane clouded my vision. But not for long. I shot to my feet as I lay eyes upon the source.

"TRIXIE!"


	2. Chapter 2

What in the name of Celestia was Trixie up to now I wondered. I thought she decided to become humble after our clash a few months ago. I eyed the spikey crown resting upon her head, perhaps she had come across another magic artifact...

"Trixie, where are we? I thought we already solved our differences..."

The blue mare in front of me cocked her head to the side, a curl of hair falling loose. I noticed she apparently got a new mane style since our last encounter. It looked nice actually. Fancy, yet subtle.

"I do not know who you speak of. My name is not," the unicorn upon the throne distastefully said, rolling the R, "Trixie. And I will have you know I have had loyal subjects executed for offenses smaller then your little outburst."

I felt a knot of ice form in my stomach. Despite all appearances this was not the show mare I knew. Even without her stating as such I could feel it. I started to notice slight differences. A larger horn. A more regal cloak. A cloak line in some sort of white fur. I noticed as she stood up she had been studying us just as I had been studying her. Only...within her eyes was the look of a predator examining its prey. The ice in my stomach decided then to take a stroll along my spine.

The not Trixie, but Trixie look a like was walking, with a slow grace towards us. As she started to speak she circled each one of us in turn.

"My name in not Trixie as a stated. My name, and how you should address me is Queen Lulamoon, daughter of Star Fall and Silver Light, direct descendant of our founder Starswirl the Powerful. You will..."

Queen Lulamoon trailed off as Pinkie Pie failed to stifle her laughter.

"You're not Queen Lulu, you're Trixie, the showmare. Remember? You bought fireworks off of me twenty three days, eight hours and fifteen minutes ago. Or was it sixteen?"

As Pinkie Pie scratched at her imaginary beard I finally got a conformation that this was definitely a different mare. That cutie mark... It was similar sure, the moon was still there... But in place of the wand was an almost exact replica of the crown that was sitting still on her well groomed mane. I noticed Apple Jack staring at the cutie mark top, and I didn't believe it was just for the shapely plot. Apple Jack had noticed too.

I turned around, taking note of the stare down happening between self proclaimed Queen Lulamoon and Pinkie. Though I noticed it was a mainly one sided stare down. My other friends' reactions though were what I was looking for. Pinkie obviously hadn't noticed yet, not that she wouldv'e been able to with the angle she was at. Rainbow Dash was hovering in the air, trying her hardest to glare daggers at the so called monarch. I assumed she thought it was our Trixie too, and was probably remembering the Rainbow Wobble incident. Rarity wasn't paying attention at all to the events occurring between our pink maned friend and Lulamoon, Fluttershy had curled underneath her and Rarity was just trying to soothe her down. I decided we needed a distraction and catching eyes with Apple Jack I waved my chin toward Rainbow Dash. With her attention caught I mouthed, slowly, the word race. I needed to at least get some of my friends out of here. I needed to be the sacrifice.

" Err.. Queen Lulamoon?" I meant a foreleg inwards in the rough motions of a bow." We are sorry, we did not know your identity. We mistook you for a friend of ours, The Great and Powerful Trixie, who is certainly no showmare."

I hoped she would take that slightly better than she had taken Pinkie Pie's words of...Pinkie-ness. I saw Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack leaning in together to whisper. I did hoped Dash's loyalty would not get in the way of the plan. If he mood went any more south in here...

Queen Lulamoon smiled. Actually smiled. It was a faint smiled, just barely there but obviously I said something right. I must say though that grin almost scared me more than her frown did.

" Your Queen will accept your apology this time, unicorn, as you have come to your senses. Now you," She turned to Rarity,"Have you come to your senses too?"

Rarity looked confused. I realized with as much attention as she had been giving the quivering mass between her legs she hadn't heard a lick of the conversation. I frantically nodded my head from where I knelt upon the floor. We needed to just get her calmed down enough so we could talk things out with her. If this mare was anything like Trixie she wouldn't mean any of us harm. Not on purpose.

"Err, yes your Highness, of course," Rarity dropped down into a curtsy, one much more graceful then my bow had been "And I sincerely apology for the behavior of my friends, we don't spend much time around such regal ponies."

I thought that was an nice and appeasing statement on Rarity's behalf, but I watched as the small grin from before twisted its-self into a smirk.

" So you are saying these Pegasi and Earth scum," She gestured behind her where she presumed Pinkie Pie, Apple Jack, and Dash were, and in between of Rarity's legs, " are your friends?"

I really hoped Rainbow Dash and Apple Jack got out of here. I have heard of unicorn supremacists before but I had never encountered one before. Well, actually there was some speculation about whether or not Blueblood was but no one liked him anyways.

I watched as ropes of light emitted from Lulamoon's horn. I tried to leap forward but as soon as they left their origin point they were quick as a whip , snaking across the floor towards Rarity and Fluttershy. I watched in horror as streams swirled past me and then... A stream was aimed at me. It split into fourths then into fifths. The tendrils wrapped themselves around my legs and as soon as they touched my legs went numb, ceasing my attempts to squirm away. This couldn't be happening, she wasn't supposed to be dangerous! My mind turned into a whirlwind, and I realized there was still one tendril to go. I stared crossed eyed as it floated its way up, up and up. Past my snout. Past my eyes. Then, I felt it. It was wrapping its self around my horn!

"Guards. You can come in now. Your Queen has detained the intruders. Leave the purple one behind. I wish to talk to her. Personally."

I could see Trix- Queen Lulamoon float four of my friends over towards the slowly opening doors.

"Oh, and a Pegasus escaped, if you could send some of the guards after her. Rainbow mane and cyan body. She might even be with in the castle yet. Don't let her leave Unicornia."


	3. Chapter 3

I glared wearily at the Queen. Even if she was only a false monarch she had what looked like guards. Well armored and well armed guards. Unicorns on top of that. I wondered about the name Unicornia, wasn't that the name of what Princess Plantinum had wanted to give to the land of Equestria? That was an old mares' tale though... I recalled though that I used to think that about Nightmare Moon. Anything is possible. Maybe Unicornia is just a town of unicorn supremacists. That make sense. Sort of.

I watched as most of my friends were levitated out of this room. Watched until I could watch no more. As the oaken doors swung close on their hinges, I turned my head towards that...Queen.

"What are you doing to my friends?!" I spat.

I felt helpless. We should have just been there to investigate the hole. Had I been thinking clearly none of use would be here. I thanked the heavens that at least Rainbow Dash got out of here.

I felt a weight lifted from my head and I stiffened. Had I looked in a mirror at that very moment I would have seen my pupils shrink down to pin pricks. I saw my tiara pass by me in a blue haze. I could feel my rage building and was too outrage to speak out.

"What is this curious tiara? I could sense the magic practically dripping from it the moment you intruded upon my throne room. There were faint traces I could detect in those treasonous ponies necklaces also..."

I was flabbergasted. For the past two years us six, often times with our elements saved Equestria a multitude of times. I've encountered snobby Canterlot elite that just didn't care that I have saved their hides but never anypony who had never heard of us. I found my tongue.

"How in Equestria have you not heard of the Elements of Harmony?"

I had more to add, not believing she never heard of us but the quirk of her brow and the look in her eyes suggested to me that she truly was confused. But I saw the eyebrow raise though at the mention of Equestria. She was confused about Equestria!

"What is this Equestria you speak? And am I to presume this tiara," she hefted it closer to herself," and those necklaces were a set?"

While she was talking she walked ever closer to me, stopping mere inches in front of me. She completed her sentence by using a metal shod hoof to lift up my chin, having us see eye to eye. That was another difference between our Trixie and this Lulamoon, she was taller. My Trixie, we could see eye to eye normally. This one was almost as tall as Princess Cadence. The longer I was here the more I realized how different they were. It seemed like the only similarity was in the colorin and the voice. And her voice was slightly differently. She sounded educated, refined even. I wondered how we all mistook her for Trixie the showmare.

With hestitation I spoke. I could be dealing with a crazy mare, easily!

"Well, you see Equestria is where we are currently. The kingdom mainly inhabited by pegusi, unicorns, and earth ponies? To the north is the realm of the Crystal ponies? To the west is the Badlands, home of the changlings that attacked last year?"

None of what I was saying seemed to be ringing a bell to the mare in front of me. I grew increasingly worried for my friends. If this mare was unhinged, it was entirely possible my friends were actually in danger.

"Look, my friends and I didn't mean to come here, we fell throu-"

I was cut off.

"A crack, yes. I saw it too.."

Now Trix- ugh Lulamoon trailed off, peering out the window. I had dimly noticed that the wind had picked up but I took no heed of it considering the moonstruck mare that first whisked my friends off to Luna knows where and then wants to sit around playing games.

"Are you hungry? We could throw a feast together in short order," I noticed the Queen's voice now sounded anxious, "I could try to bring your unicorn friend up to join us even."

I decided she was definitely crazy now. One does not simply bargain with a prisoner. It's supposed to be the other way around. I peered towards the window, I had noticed when offering me a feast her eyes kept flickering between my face and the window.

Earlier I though I could see the shadowy outlines of various masses but now all I could see was a swirling mass of white. I knew the y must be snowflakes but even in the northern Crystal Kingdom the snow never got this bad. Something was wrong.

Then I saw it. There were faces forming in the snow its self. Elongated faces. Equine faces. I never saw one in person but I knew what they were.

"Windigos..." I whispered.

I was aware of Lulamoon nervously nodding in agreement.

"They are the worst this time of year, and the arguing between us, maybe even the appearances of the others must have flared them up."

I recalled how in our Hearth's Warming Eve pagent how using the power of friendship the windigos were exiled from the land of Equestria. Maybe where ever we were, this is where the windigos fled to.

"Well, in my home of Equestria windigos were banished long ago by the power of three ponies' friendship. Maybe my friends and I could help you out if you'd be willing to let us go?"

I was trying to be helpful, honest, but I was hoping to also get my friends out.

"The windigos have been here a great amount of time. Our books tell how we left our home land to get free of them but they followed us. We came here though following the path of our last ruling Princess, Princess Platinum, who died with her unnamed assistant while she was fighting for our right to the land with the leaders of the other clans."

I gasped inwardly. Clover the Clever lived. Together they founded harmony. They settled Equestria...Equestria... If Clover the Clever died Equestria wouldv'e never exist. Oh no, oh no. I remembered in a text book I read in my academy years mentioned how any action can create a different, alternate reality, that tear... We were no long in Equestria.


End file.
